He fell from the skies
by Adrianne Hershae
Summary: Another fanfic on Dio's fate. Don't mock me. This is my first. Dio is picked up by a retreating fighter vanship. It will probably be DioxAlvis with a possible OC couple, but we'll see. I like to do extensive research before I write. This will take a while
1. He fell from the skies

**He fell from the skies**

Disclaimer: I do not own Last Exile.

Author's Note:

When Dio died, I wouldn't believe it. I watched and I waited for something to happen…but there was…nothing. There wasn't even any commemoration given to him or Luciola.  
Maybe _that ending_ was not Dio's death after all. Perhaps he was truly gone when they took him.  
…but he remembered! He's remembered something! A shadow of what used to be, but it was something! Wasn't it possible for him to heal? If Luciola had lived I know he could have!  
sigh I'm sure that none of you want to hear my ramblings…it's just that my favourite characters…died.  
No one's dead until I have the visual proof!

_Italics _indicate thoughts

P.S: I am also quite aware of the rumour that Dio was picked up by a guild starship as allegedly stated in one of the Last Exile art books.

**He fell from the skies**

Up in the Grand Stream, if you don't ride the winds you'll get caught up; you'll be tossed about like a leaf and there will be no one to hear your screams…

_Realisation dawned on Dio. Luciola was gone. He threw himself across the vanship clinging to the mid-section. "Just because I said to get out…" he whimpered._  
"_Just because I said to get out?! Luciola!" _  
_Tears streaked his face, the iciness of them cutting into his skin. He did not notice the swirling, roaring winds surround him, until he was unable to cling to the vanship any longer and was tossed into that great storm – the Grand Stream. "LUCIOLA!!!"_

"The Grand Stream," I muttered under my breath, gazing in awe at the monstrous, grey storm.  
I imagined what it would be like to ride in that; to feel its awesome power. Even thinking about it was almost overwhelming. Suddenly, the command came for us to start attacking Exile. I jolted back into reality. Exile - my eyes widened at the sight of its huge tentacles as it lay there, cradled in the gaping hole in the middle of Distith. _Distith – that used to be Arden's home._  
"Karin!" yelled Arden above the howling winds, "What are you waiting for?!? Start shooting!!"  
I growled at my own negligence. "Right!"  
This was it! Everything; even Arden's voice faded away. _Left! Right! Immelman Turn!_ The trigger blanked. "More ammunition!" I commanded Arden.  
"Roger!"  
_Now, dive down! Swoop up to the right! Right again! Up!_ The trigger blanked again. I growled under my breath. "That was the last of our ammo!"  
I surveyed our situation. We were too close to use the missiles. We needed to go up! I jerked back on the controls, clenching my teeth against the pressure. 30 miles up I plunged us back down. I counted in my head _5-4-3-2-1_  
KABOOM – the missiles impacted. I pulled us back up, just avoiding the explosion coming off a nearby tentacle. _Only 2 more…_  
Finally, the signal came to retreat. I sighed in relief. However, my relief was soon destroyed as I watched one of the battleships go down and then one of the guild ships. "No way are we going down like that!" I yelled back at Arden.  
"But Karin!" he yelled back, "We don't have enough gas!"  
He was right. "Fine then," I told him, "We'll fuel up then head back out!"  
"Do you think they'll let us?!" He asked.  
I scowled back furiously. "Arden! We don't belong to anyone!"  
From the corner of my eye, I registered his nod.

Landing gave me a feeling of security; false security. I stared around at everyone's relieved faces sadly then went to fuel up. "Why are you so eager to fill back up?" came a voice from behind me.  
I put on my soldier face and turned to face the chief mechanic. "Just in case, sir! We may need to head back out!"  
He nodded with a grunt. However, I could see the distrust in his eyes. I couldn't blame him either. I hadn't shown much respect for our squadron commander, let alone him. "We don't belong to anyone, huh?" mumbled Arden.  
I scowled back at him. "No we don't!" I hissed under my breath, "And we are gonna get outta here!"  
The battleship shuddered violently bringing everyone to the ground. "Now!" I shouted to Arden.  
We quickly checked our vanship over and boarded. "Claudia pressure - check! Fuel verification – ¾ full tank!"  
He paused, "Do you think we have enough?"  
"We don't have time Arden!"  
He finished checking off and we shot out and over the edge. _Come on! Come on!_  
We'd had it pretty rough today. I was jerked back as we shot out due to the sudden propulsion from the engine. "We're abandoning them," murmured Arden.  
I looked back sadly. "Yes," I whispered, "We are."  
I hardened back up clawing inwardly at my own tears. "But we had no choice, Arden! I want to live!"  
I looked back at him, "Don't you?"  
He nodded grimly, "Yes, I do."

15 minutes out, I caught sight of a falling vanship. "What the - ?!?"  
Just then something was spit out by the Grand Stream. "What is it?" yelled out Arden.  
"You're the one with the binoculars!" I yelled back.  
"It's…it's…the Guild!"  
I could tell he was startled. "Uh-uh…It's a Guild boy!"  
_A boy?_  
I dove toward the rapidly descending body. _No one; not even a Guild boy deserves to die like this!_  
I had to think quick! Allowing him to drop into the vanship would definitely kill him. I cringed at the image of his body splattering all over our ship. Bile rose up into my throat and I choked it down. I pulled into a sharp dive parallel to the direction of his falling body. I caught sight of his face – a breath! "He's alive!" I yelled.  
I prayed that my plan would work. "Arden!" I shouted back through clenched teeth, "Grab him! And gently too!"  
Arden was an expert at these things – saving falling objects and not breaking them. Weren't all navis supposed to be like that though? No, Arden was a miracle worker. He just had a sense for these things. A living being –this would be the most difficult. He knew what I wanted and obeyed with a nod.  
After a pause and a grunt, he yelled down to me, "Alright!"  
I decelerated carefully and pulled out of the dive. "Did…Did we do it?" I asked nervously, not turning around.  
"Yes," came his reply, "We did it."  
I smiled back at him and the boy. The boy was puffing and wheezing. At least it was a sign of life. He looked about my age and although very strange, he was handsome too. _What? Handsome!?!_  
I growled down the rising heat in my face as I turned back to the controls. Almost without thinking, I decided to head back. The boy would need medical attention and quick. "We're going back?" asked Arden.  
"I guess so!" I yelled back slightly nervous.  
What was Arden thinking right now? I was going to risk our lives for this boy; this stranger and of the Guild too? "Think about it Karin!" he yelled out, "He's of the Guild! They're not going to help him – not with all the other people they'll be attending to! Besides, what's the use if we _all_ die?!"  
_I hadn't thought of that!_  
"We have a medical kit!" he told me, "Just land somewhere safely!"  
"But we can't…"  
He cut me off, "Karin! This is all we've got!"  
I nodded, giving him an uncertain, "Okay."  
_No one can say we didn't try._  
I pulled it back together. "Arden, I won't have this life on my conscience, okay?"  
I turned back, "Or yours."  
"I know, Karin."

**Author's note:**

I have been doing extensive research on Last Exile to ensure that my fanfic keeps as true to the original story as possible. Sorry for taking so long.

22 Jan 08 - I have an update on Dio from Wikipedia. It says that his voice is heard in one of the last scenes in Last Exile from the engine room of the Silvana saying, "Ascending!"  
I checked it out on Youtube and it was correct. It's after the Mysterion is completed. The Silvana is set free from Exile's grasp and the guild engine worker from the House of Dagobart says, "This thing still won't give up."He starts up the engine then says, "Climb!" This is followed by what sounds like Dio's voice repeating, "Climb!"

23 Jan 08 – It's taken me a while, but I've finally discovered the name of the guild engine worker. I believe that it's Lescius. His name is only mentioned once. He is usually referred to as the Chief Engineer. I've also been taking a close look at his character and am trying to figure out his background.

4 Mar 08 – I've read everything I can on Wikipedia and am hoping to find further information to both add to and verify it. More preliminary work to do. We'll see how long this takes.


	2. The kill em all, no allegiances Silvana

**Author's Note:**

I'm sorry that this has taken so long, but I've had to make many changes to the plot and so forth. I just hope that people are still reading this :P

**The kill-'em-all, no-allegiances Silvana**

Our search for somewhere safe to land seemed futile. I knew as well as Arden did that Distith was now, nothing more than a gigantic, barren icescape. All that had once been, was now covered in thick sheets of ice and snow. If we weren't careful, then we would become a part of it too. It seemed that the battlefield was probably the safest place around after all - _Unless we can cross the Grand Stream._

I shook my head at the very thought. _Impossible! This boy tried it and look where it got him! No, if our vanship managed to survive its winds, it isn't likely that we would._

"What is it?" asked Arden, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know what to do," I admitted, "Just look around, Arden! We'll never find somewhere good to land and if we did land, we could only stick around for few hours tops!"

Arden was about to reply when we both heard a strange giggle. We both looked around at the guild boy in concern. He was mumbling something incoherent. I decided to land on a flat strip of snow. I covered up our vanship and set up the make-shift tent we had amongst our gear. I let Arden tend to the boy, while I huddled beneath the vanship hoping that it'd be over sooner rather than later.

Sooner than expected, Arden came out and pulled me into the shelter. He spoke in a hushed tone. "You won't believe this Karin, but the only injuries he's managed to sustain are a several bruises and chapped lips."

Arden looked back at the boy. "I think it may be due to that strange outfit he wears."

"He's hasn't regained consciousness yet," He continued on, "But he's been mumbling in his sleep. The only thing I could really make out was: _'_More than that! I think we'll give our friends on the Silvana a little visit._' _He seemed to be talking to someone – a Luciola."

I dismissed the last lot of information immediately and remarked, "The Silvana - as in the kill-'em-all Silvana?!?"

Arden only nodded. I calmed my nerves. "So the rumours are true," I mumbled, "Anatory, Distith, Guild – where exactly do their allegiances lie?"

"We were _just_ united under Empress Sophia remember?" Arden reminded me sounding unimpressed.

"Right! Right!" I told him, "Yeah, I know, but _the Guild_?!?"

"I believe that they are much like us," Arden told me, "They're on their _own_ side."

_Much like us? _

I registered the thought then nodded in agreement. Arden let out a yawn. "Hey," I said to him, "You tired?"

He shook his head and I rolled my eyes. "Yes you are!"

I made my way out of the tent and gathered some supplies out from the vanship – a sleeping bag and some food. I brought them to the tent, chucking the sleeping bag at Arden. "You should get some rest," I told him, "I'll give you one hour and then I'll get one hours rest myself."

"Fine!" he consented, chuckling under his breath.

He wrapped himself up, zipped himself in and rolled over. I grabbed a tin of dried fruit and piece of salted meat which I stuck inside a piece of flat bread. Looking at the two sleeping boys, I sighed. _This is gonna be one long one hour!_

**A/N:** Please Review:D


	3. Haunted

**Author's Note:**

Whaddaya know! You all get another chapter! Hope this makes up for not having updated for such a long time :D Can't make any promises on updating again soon though.

**Haunted**

"LUCIOLA!!!"

I stumbled back, looking up from the flickering flames of the candle wick. The Guild boy was now sitting up and wide awake. I looked over at Arden. _He's still asleep?!?_

I returned my gaze to the Guild boy. My lips tightened in fear as his eyes penetrated me. However, he didn't seem to notice my presence. He was breathing heavily then suddenly, tears began to fall down his cheeks. My brow furrowed and I reached out a hand toward him instinctively. At my touched, he whacked my hand back. His vision cleared and he saw me. "Luciola?" he asked.

"N-no, I'm not – !"

He crawled out of the sleeping bag toward me and I shrunk back, eyes wide with concern. He leaned over me, his face so close. My breathing hitched and he said, "_You're_ not Luciola."

With that he collapsed, his head dropping to my shoulder then sliding to my lap. I sat in frozen shock until he started coughing. Gently, I tried moving his head out of my lap, but instead ended up with his arms surrounding my waist. Blushing uneasily, I reached down and drew up what I could of the sleeping bag over his shoulders, then twisted a bit to get comfortable. This boy was much heavier than he looked, or rather than how Arden had made him look. I took a sulky look over at Arden's sleeping form up in the corner. _This is gonna look just great when Arden wakes up!_

"_Jared!" I cried out, "Jared, wait!"_

_Finally, he turned to me his expression grim. "Jared, were you about to leave without me?"_

"_Yes," he admitted, "You are not coming!"_

"_But…But I'm the pilot. You can't fly a vanship without a pilot. Jared, you're my navi."_

_Tears formed at the corners of my eyes. Jared sighed in frustration resting a hand on my shoulder. I glared up at him. "Karin, you're only a girl," he told me._

"_Yes I am," I told him, "Anything else you want to tell me?"_

"_You know that Dad wouldn't approve, Karin," he stated bluntly._

"_But - !"_

"_Besides Glen is just as good as you…"_

_There was a pause before he said, "If not better."_

_I stood there angry and speechless, unable to move. I wanted to fight, but all I did was watch as my brother climbed into the back of what was once our vanship and left._

The next thing I saw was darkness. I felt so warm. Thick, rough fabric surrounded my body. My eyes opened and I turned to my side. Arden was sitting between me and the Guild boy. "Arden?" I murmured groggily.

He looked down stonily and I stared up in confusion. "Why…?" I began, "What are you…? Why am I…?"

I recalled the last few moments before I had fallen asleep. "When you woke up, what was I - ?"

"Go back to sleep," Arden told me, "You have a good half an hour left."

He turned away, leaving me to scowl at his back. _What's up with him?_

I rolled over and thought of the dream. It was a dream this time and not a nightmare. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and let it out. I repeated this a few times, then clenched my teeth together and gradually let myself slip out of consciousness.

When I woke up for the second time, I found that my face was leaning against a patch of wetness and that my fingers were curled around fabric. I became aware of another's presence and an arm draped across me. Something inside of me hurt, but I couldn't remember why. I had an idea of it though. "Arden," I whispered, trying to keep the tremor out of my voice, "It's alright now. You can let go."

I released my grip on his shirt and felt his arm slid off me as he moved away. "You're alright now?" he asked.

I sat up and nodded, ignoring the pain in my chest. "Yeah," I replied with a nod.

"Uh, I'm sorry about being…harsh to you before," he told me, looking down.

"It's fine, Arden," I told him.

He looked a lot more troubled than he ought to have. His mouth was set in a thin line. "Really Arden," I laughed nervously, reaching out with a hand.

Suddenly, he caught my hand in his and looked up. "No it's not," he told me, "Karin I –"

There was a sharp cough and we both looked over at the Guild boy. "No," he mumbled to some invisible person, "Please! I don't want to change! I want to stay the way I am! Luciola! LUCIOLA!!!"

Once again, he jolted up panting, his vision distant. He then fell back unconscious. After a moment, I told Arden, "He did that before. Physically, he seems to be well enough, but I'm not so sure about the state of his mentality."

Arden nodded quietly, his expression both concerned and alarmed.

**A/N: **Please Review! Pretty, pretty please:P


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